3 things we learned about AI and skilling from experts

The skills needed in the workforce are changing quickly. By 2027, businesses predict that almost half (44%) of workers’ core skills will be disrupted, according to World Economic Forum research.

The primary source of the disruption is technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), which is forcing employers and employees to rethink skilling needs. In fact, 42% of business tasks are expected to be automated by 2027.

But how quick is AI progressing, and what do workers and organizations need to do to stay relevant in the future of work?

That was the focus of an expert panel session – Skills in the Age of AI – at the Forum's Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October.

On the panel were Nela Richardson, Chief Economist and Environmental, Social and Governance Officer, ADP; Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley; Jo O'Driscoll-Kearney, Chief Learning Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Holding; and Abdallah Abu-Sheikh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Astra Tech.

Here are three key takeaways from the session.

On the whole, AI will free up time for workers and reduce monotony in our daily lives, commented Abu-Sheikh: "It's going to mostly take over the repetitive jobs that are more labour-oriented. [AI] it will leave people with a lot more time to do other stuff".

O'Driscoll-Kearney expanded on this point, noting "it's really here to elevate the human". She added that it's up to the workforce and employers to stay on top of AI developments and reskill: "It's not AI that's going to take our jobs, it's AI that's going to take the jobs of people who don't know about AI".

To make the most of the opportunities that AI offers, the experts noted, the workforce will need to reskill and upskill. "I think what AI does, first and foremost, is change how companies view their talent and hopefully helps them invest in that talent," Richardson said.

The timescale of change was up for debate, however, with Russell weighing in on both sides: "There are plenty of experts who are predicting that by the end of this decade - so six years from now - we will have AI systems that exceed human capabilities in every dimension," though he did not count himself among them, instead suggesting a longer timeline of at least two decades.

The panellists highlighted soft skills as the key skills workers would need in the age of AI, aligning with the Forum's Future of Jobs 2023 report, which found that seven out of the top 10 skills on the rise from 2023 to 2027 were soft skills.

Richardson pointed to cultural awareness and sensitivity as a key skill, explaining that "even AI needs a human hand right?" with when creating content.

The ability to learn and adapt was highlighted as an essential soft skill by Abu-Sheikh: "The people who fare much better, say financially or in the business world, are not the most learned people but are the best survivors".

It's crucial that companies aid this learning and adapting process however, as O'Driscoll-Kearney pointed out: "We've really had to think about very fresh renegade, recusant ways of deploying learning. And we're really trying with AI now not to just meet the learners where they are, but meet them where they can be," with regards to delivering learning in different formats or on certain platforms that suit the learners' needs.

Technological development is creating an uphill struggle for the education system, said Abu-Sheikh: "The better technology gets, the worse formal education becomes, because the better technology becomes, the formal education institute is just constantly lagging further and further behind".

Russell agreed, saying that institutions are “absolutely not” responding fast enough to the pace of change in AI: “Academia is notoriously slow to change".

It's also a challenge for institutions to deliver educational content in formats that benefit as wide a range of learning types as possible: "How do you map the characteristics of the individual to how they learn, and what's the best way to help them learn? That's going to take decades to develop that science".

The issue of generative AI use by students was also raised by Russell, who gave an example of how to navigate this challenge to best prepare students for the working world: "One of my colleagues at Berkeley has a rule that says, okay, you have to use ChatGPT or some equivalent engine to write your essay, but if you turn that in, you get zero. You're graded on your ability to improve on the output of the AI system. That sounds like a pretty interesting and enlightened approach".

AI could significantly benefit poorer nations said Russell, with personalised education via AI that "acts as a tutor, not as something that does your homework for you, but something that says, okay, let's think about that. What do you think about this idea? Where could we find answers? What kind of research could we do to look into for this question?"

The use of AI education systems, Russell noted, would encourage critical thinking while also reducing education costs.

Watch the full session below.